1. Field
Aspects of embodiments of the present invention relate to a support plate and, more particularly, to a support plate for a protection module and a battery module including the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
A rechargeable battery can be repeatedly charged and discharged, unlike a primary battery that is incapable of being recharged. A rechargeable battery having a low capacity may be used for a small portable electronic device, such as a mobile phone, a laptop computer, and a camcorder, and a large-capacity battery is widely used as a power source for driving a motor of a hybrid vehicle, an electric vehicle, etc.
Further, a large-capacity battery module is generally formed with a plurality of rechargeable batteries that are connected in series, and a rechargeable battery is formed in a cylindrical shape or a square shape, for example.
A protection module for measuring and controlling a voltage and a current of each rechargeable battery may be installed in a battery module. Elements for measuring currents, voltages, temperatures, and the like of the rechargeable batteries, and units for preventing or substantially preventing overcharge and overcurrent are mounted in the protection module.
For the protection module for preventing or substantially preventing overcharge and over-discharge of the battery module, it is very important to precisely measure current, voltage, and temperature. Further, various safety apparatuses are required to be mounted in the protection module. For the installation of the safety apparatuses, brackets conforming to each shape of the safety apparatuses need to be mounted in a support plate. Accordingly, a step for mounting these brackets in the support plate, a step for mounting the safety apparatuses in the brackets, and a step for mounting the support plate in the protection module are necessary. As a result the process is complicated and working time is increased, thereby deteriorating productivity.
In addition, electrical lines connected to the support plate are complexly installed to mount the safety apparatuses in the support plate. Accordingly, tie cables or the like are used to arrange the electrical lines. However, the tie cables merely facilitate binding of the electrical lines, and it is difficult to securely fix the electrical lines to the support plate. Furthermore, such application of the tie cables is manually performed by a worker, thereby increasing working time.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the described technology and, therefore, it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.